July 06, 2007

Galilee, Rhode Island: Pretty as a Picture

There are few things in life more relaxing than spending a quiet afternoon sitting by a harbor, eating seafood (followed by great ice cream) and watching the sunset over a classic New England fishing wharf. And there are few places in New England that are as perfect for that as Galilee, Rhode Island. You just couldn't ask for a prettier or more picturesque place to watch (and photograph) the sunset.

Tucked into a quiet inlet near the mouth of Narragansett Bay, Galilee is home to one of the largest commercial fishing and lobster boat fleets in New England and just walking the wharves and admiring these huge working boats is like stepping back in time to a simpler, more sea-faring New England (if you ignore all of the radar gear on the tops of the boats). In fact, according to an official website, each year more than ten million pounds of fish and shellfish are
processed in Galilee and trucked to markets along the east coast.

Located on Point Judith and officially a part of the town of Narragansett, the village is also the base for the ferry (see photo) that runs out to Block Island--a popular summer island off the Rhode Island coast. The town is a short drive from a nice scenic section of Rte 1. It's close enough to daytrip here from Newport or from Mystic, Connecticut. (more text and photos...)

This is a great place for wandering with a zoom lens and looking for interesting detail shots of the boats and their rigging. There are also lots of
interesting shots to be found among the stacks and stacks of lobster
traps and color lobster floats. Because the sun sets "across" the
harbor on the west side of the small inlet, you can compose shots with
the fishing boats and masts in the foreground and frame them with a
nice colorful sky. There are a several restaurants right on the water
and if you get a table on the 2nd floor deck you'll have a great
vantage point for shooting boats coming and going in the sunset.

You can get driving directions to Galilee on any mapping website, but here's a great local map that shows all the local roads, the ferry, restaurants, etc.